Of Travels, Tales, and Smolders

Note: Autumn, I haven't forgotten my award and I'm going to post about it really soon! :)

This past weekend, the family and I headed up to North Carolina where Dad had a preaching appointment. It was late when we left. As in really late for an eight hour ride. As in 10:00 at night late. Yeah.

See, we had our homeschool group's annual talent show this past Friday night (which was an absolute blast), but it wasn't over until about 9:30ish...hence the late departure.

I think I'll title this one "Heading out on a trip to North Carolina in the cramped Tahoe at 10:00 at night after everyone is hyper from the desserts served at the talent show and won't sit still for a photo to document the ride."

Yeah, that fits. I like titles that lack excess words, don't you?

 You'd think all of the excitement from the day would finally drain away and all younger passengers would fall asleep five minutes into the drive, right? Not so. And I was seated beside Mr. Chatty (aka 4 yr. old Zander). Our conversation for about forty-five minutes of the trip went something like this:

 "Erin, someday I'd like to go see where John Wayne is buried."

"Really?"

"Erin, where are we? Oh. Jacksonville. I like Jacksonville. Do you like Jacksonville, too? I like Jacksonville."

"Uh huh."

"Erin, don't we have three teams in Georgia that I like? Like Georgia Tech, Georgia Bulldogs, and the Packers."

"Yep. Wait. What? The Packers are in Wisconsin."

"Yeah, but I like the Packers."

Oh well, you gotta love his cuteness. The ride continued with passengers dozing every once in awhile, waking up to talk for about an hour, and then falling back asleep to rejuvenate for another round.

As for me, I pretty much sat there thinking my own thoughts. Thoughts which are always deep and theological, especially at 2:00 in the morning.

A prime example would be my thought of how nice it would be to know how to yodel like the guy on the radio. Deep.

After awhile, I finally decided to remove the hard item that had been beneath me the entire ride. It looked to be either a piece of white chalk or a fossilized marshmallow.

I chose to believe it was a piece of white chalk.

When we finally arrived at the hotel, I went to sleep and didn't touch my camera again until Sunday afternoon.

Then I was at it full force photographing the beautiful North Carolina scenery. To Miss Emily:

 I really like your state. :)

The blossoms kind of resemble hearts against the sky, yes?

Wesley was in a pleasant mood and agreed to being photographed. True, siblings may be found in any state, but willing siblings are a rarity.

And willing siblings who suddenly say "Here comes the smolder" and make an expression in said way are even rarer. In fact, they are almost unheard of.

(Note: If you haven't seen 'Tangled', I suggest that you do, if only for the sole purpose of understanding what the above means.)

After a few shots, he had the 'smolder' down to perfection. Bravo.

                              "Smile, sad clown, give yourself a hug!"                        ...That's better.

 Elisabeth.

 Zander-man and Ellie.

A tree that excited interest as it was, well, a North Carolina tree. Ah, bless thy roots.

 What can I say? I love my foliage.

 Darn, he lost his smolder. And I liked it, too. Oh well, smiles are always a good thing.

 

 Just when you're about to depart from NC, it's always a good idea to use the sun to your advantage and photograph the shadows of your siblings' hands against concrete. Cool.

 Huh. A hand with a sense of humor. Never seen that one before.

After a lovely time of fellowship, it was time for the return trip home. Which was, oh yeah, eight hours. To pass the time, I took some more photos of the sib-a-lings who had nowhere to run. Ha.

Pity them. Either someone was too hot or too cold on the ride, resulting in extreme temperatures. This was one of the instances where the air conditioner was turned below zero and we had to snuggle close to one another and wrap ourselves in layers of blankets. All to please a select few who were hot.

Our talented Tahoe driver, formally known as 'Dad.' Today is also this wonderful person's birthday, so I'd like to say something that you have likely never heard on someone's special day:

*clears throat* Happy Birthday, Dad!

 I also amused myself by photographing semi trucks riding past. Here's one from Mickey D's.

 "Na na na na, I'm lovin' it."

This kept me sane on the long drive home. Along with cherry lollipops.

While I don't know if I'd like to attempt such a long ride all night again, NC was a wonderful place and the family and I had a great time.

Oh, and just to let everyone know, it was eventually discovered that the item Erin found beneath her in the Tahoe was in fact a piece of chalk. In short, it is still up for debate as to what a fossilized marshmallow looks like. Pity.